A top State Department official said that the United States will not provide funds directly to the Lebanese government until it undergoes major reforms.
Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale said that the U.S. will continue to provide humanitarian assistance directly related to the explosion in Beirut, but it will not provide the government with assistance unless it roots out rampant corruption and mismanagement. Hale, on Wednesday, described his recent visit to Lebanon and said that some in Beirut told him: “Please no bailout of the government of Lebanon.”
“And I said — heartily agreed with that. We will not be providing that kind of long-term assistance until we see a government that’s actually capable of reform and change,” he said, according to a transcript of the remarks.
Hale said that Lebanon hit “rock bottom” after the blast earlier in August, which killed more than 170, injured 6,000, and left up to 300,000 people homeless. Hale said that the U.S. “would be there with the immediate humanitarian emergency help” that is needed for a tragedy of the blast’s magnitude, “but for the kind of substantial assistance that the Lebanese are asking for in order to restructure their finances and their economy, it’s going to take leadership that’s committed to these deep reforms that we’ve been talking to the Lebanese about for years now.”
Hale said that the Lebanese people and protesters have watched as leaders “use the system in order to enrich themselves and to ignore popular demands.”
“That era is over. There is no more money for that,” Hale said. “They are at rock bottom, and sooner or later, I believe, that the leadership will appreciate the fact that it is time to change.”
“And if not, I am convinced that the public will increase the pressure on them,” he added.
Lebanon was facing a dire economic and political crisis even prior to the devastating Aug. 4 explosion. The blast fueled not just physical fires but also a renewed wave of discontent that has manifested in protests and the resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab’s entire Cabinet. Hale said that since the blast, he has heard from numerous political figures, some who recognize the need for change and others who are “in denial.”
“Some of them are aware of the problem that they face with the public and are trying to develop a concept of governance that can be responsive,” Hale, who visited Beirut in the wake of the blast, explained. “Others I found to be in denial and trying to paper this over and ride out the moment in the hopes that the public will lose interest and either don’t understand the magnitude of the problem or are unwilling to cope with it.”
The explosion is still under investigation, with FBI assistance, although it is believed that some 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate were behind the colossal blast. The chemical had been improperly stored at the Port of Beirut for about six years, and port officials had reportedly warned the government on multiple occasions about the danger of storing it so close to the civilian population.
Hezbollah, which is a designated terrorist organization by the U.S. and European countries, operates as a political entity within the country, further adding to the complications with reform. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has denied any involvement in the blast. Hale pointed out that political frustration has also been leveled at Hezbollah following the blast and noted that an effigy of Nasrallah was burned by demonstrators earlier in August in Beirut.
“This is a recognition, I think, that people are beginning to realize that Hezbollah is also part of the corrupt, self-serving system,” Hale said. “Now, if it’s a government dominated by Hezbollah or has a Hezbollah presence in it, these are variations that we’d have to examine closely. But what we really are focused on is, will it be a government that can undertake what the Lebanese people are demanding in terms of change?”
Also tied to Hezbollah is Iran, the largest state adversary of the U.S. in the Middle East. French President Emmanuel Macron, who has led international efforts to assist victims of the explosion, recently warned Iranian President Hassan Rouhani not to stir up trouble in the chaos of the explosion and resulting political turmoil.
